Friday July 25 2014

NWSC Board sets the pace in self-evaluation

A mid-term evaluation of the National Water and Sewerage Corporation Board performance has given a thumbs up to its new chair, Dr. Christopher Ebal, and also rated highly the performances of the Managing Director, Dr. Silver Mugisha and the corporation secretary Ms Edith Katete. According to the mid-term review results, Dr. Mugisha, who was appointed to head the water body in August 2013 scored 94 per cent, in 16 areas assessed including strategy development, stakeholder management and timely provision of information to the Board. Dr. Ebal, who also became board chair a year ago scored 93 per cent while Ms Katete scored 91 per cent. Other areas evaluated included; community connectivity, teamwork in the board, consensus building and commitment to serving esteemed customers. The review was conducted by a Kampala consultancy firm, LK Consultancy, and presented to the board on June 19, 2014. “The results will help you to concentrate on the attributes poorly performed and agree remedial actions and the time frame,” Mr Leo Kibirango of LK Consultancy in a letter to Eng Ebal, said. Dr Ebal has led the board to work closely with the NWSC management led by Eng. Mugisha, in which the corporation has developed a five-year Strategic Direction committing to 100 per cent coverage in service areas. Already, the corporation is in an expansive drive to extend 908kms worth of pipes by 2015, which will see the number of people served in 66 towns drastically increased, having covered 360km in the last six months, and hopes to increase its water connections from the current 350,000 connections to 450,000 before 2018.

Awards In April this year, NWSC received the prestigious Water Leaders Award during the global water summit in Paris France after it was recognised for the frontline difference it is making in the provision of safe water and good sanitation in Uganda through increased service coverage. Also in May, the corporation was voted the best water utility in Africa. Until a new management team took over the management of the corporation in 2013, the Public utility Company had operations in only 23 towns since its inception in 1972 but within 10 months of stay in office, the new team managed to increase its operations to 66 towns.